For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, December 16, 2021 USDL-21-2145 Technical information: (202)691-6170 •

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For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, December 16, 2021 USDL-21-2145 Technical information: (202) 691-6170

•

iifstaff@bls.gov

•

www.bls.gov/iif

Media contact: (202) 691-5902

•

PressOffice@bls.gov

N ATIONAL C ENSUS OF F ATAL O CCUPATIONAL I NJURIES IN 2020

There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020, a 10.7-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) The fatal work injury rate was 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.5 per 100,000 FTE in 2019.

(See chart 2.) These data are from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).

Chart 1. Number of fatal work injuries, 2010-20 Chart 2. Fatal work injury rate, 2010-20

Key findings from the 2020 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

• The 4,764 fatal occupational injuries in 2020 represents the lowest annual number since 2013.

• A worker died every 111 minutes from a work-related injury in 2020.

• Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal event with 1,778 fatal injuries, accounting for 37.3 percent of all work-related fatalities.

• The share of Hispanic or Latino workers fatally injured on the job continued to grow, increasing to 22.5 percent (1,072 fatalities) from 20.4 percent (1,088 fatalities) in 2019.

• Suicides decreased 15.6 percent from 307 in 2019 to 259 in 2020, representing the lowest count for occupational suicides since 2015.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

CFOI reports fatal workplace injuries only. These may include fatal workplace injuries complicated by an illness such as COVID-19. Fatal workplace illnesses not precipitated by an injury are not in scope for CFOI. CFOI does not report any illness related information, including COVID-19. Additional information is available at

www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-and-occupational- requirements.htm.

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Fatal work injury rate per 100,000 FTE workers

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2 Worker characteristics

• Women made up 8.1 percent of all fatalities but represented 16.3 percent of workplace homicides in 2020.

• In 2020, workers between the ages of 45 and 54 suffered 954 workplace fatalities, the lowest count for this age group since 1992.

• The fatality rate for Hispanic or Latino workers was 4.5 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers in 2020, up from 4.2 in 2019.

• Black or African American workers had a 14.7-percent decrease in occupational fatalities in 2020, falling from 634 in 2019 to 541 in 2020.

Fatal event or exposure

• Fatal transportation incidents fell 16.2 percent to 1,778 in 2020 from 2,122 in 2019.

• Fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals decreased from 841 fatalities in 2019 to 705 fatalities in 2020 (-16.2 percent). The largest subcategory, intentional injuries by person,

decreased 14.5 percent to 651 in 2020.

• Exposure to harmful substances or environments led to 672 worker fatalities in 2020, the highest figure since the series began in 2011. Within this category, unintentional overdose from nonmedical use of drugs accounted for 57.7 percent of fatalities (388 deaths), up from 48.8 percent in 2019.

Chart 3. Fatal work injuries by major event or exposure, 2016-20

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500

Transportation

incidents Falls, slips, trips Violence and other injuries by person or

animal

Contact with objects

and equipment Exposure to harmful substances or environments

Fires and explosions

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

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3 Occupation

• Workers in transportation and material moving occupations and construction and extraction occupations accounted for nearly half of all fatal occupational injuries (47.4 percent), representing 1,282 and 976 workplace deaths, respectively.

• Sales occupations and office and administrative support occupations had a 19.0-percent decrease in fatal occupational injuries between 2019 (332 deaths) and 2020 (269 deaths).

• Fatalities in healthcare support occupations increased 15.8 percent to 44 fatalities, up from 38 in 2019.

• Fatal occupational injuries among law enforcement workers increased 18.6 percent between 2019 and 2020, from 97 to 115.

• The fatal injury rate for aircraft pilots and flight engineers decreased from 61.8 per 100,000 FTEs in 2019 to 34.3 in 2020. (See table 5 and chart 4.)

• Fishing and hunting workers had a fatal injury rate of 132.1 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTEs in 2020. Transportation incidents accounted for 71.4 percent of fishing and hunting workers’ deaths.

Fatal injury counts by occupation will be available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm. Fatality rates by occupation, industry, and worker demographics will be available at

www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cfoi_rates_2020hb.xlsx.

Chart 4. Fatal work injury rates per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers by selected occupations, 2019-20

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers Structural iron and steel workers Refuse and recyclable material collectors Aircraft pilots and flight engineers Helpers, construction trade Roofers Logging workers Fishing and hunting workers*

2019 2020

*Fatal work injury rates incorporate revisions to the Current Population Survey's (CPS) occupation classification codes, implemented in 2020.

CPS data are used to determine total working hours for each occupation. Comparison of data for 2020 to year 2019 and prior should be done

with caution due to these changes.

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4 TECHNICAL NOTES

Background

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) program, is a count of all fatalities resulting from workplace injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses a variety of state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries. This ensures counts are as complete and accurate as possible. For the 2020 data, over 21,600 unique source documents were reviewed as part of the data collection process. For technical information and definitions for the CFOI, see the BLS Handbook of Methods on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/home.htm and the CFOI definitions at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

Fatal injury rates are subject to sampling error as they are calculated using employment data from the Current Population Survey, a sample of households, and the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics. For more information on sampling error, see www.bls.gov/iif/osh_rse.htm.

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), another component of the OSHS program, presents frequency counts and incidence rates by industry, detailed case circumstances, and worker characteristics for nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses for cases that result in days away from work. For these data, access the BLS website: www.bls.gov/iif.

Identification and verification of work-related fatalities

In 2020, work relationship could not be independently verified by multiple source documents for 18 fatal work injuries. However, the information on the initiating source document for these cases was sufficient to determine that the incident was likely to be job-related. Data for these fatalities are included.

Federal/State agency coverage

The CFOI includes data for all fatal work injuries, some of which may be outside the scope of other agencies or regulatory coverage. Comparisons between CFOI counts and those released by other agencies should account for the different coverage requirements and definitions used by each agency. For more information on the scope of CFOI, see www.bls.gov/iif/cfoiscope.htm and www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/concepts.htm.

Latency Cases

Latent fatal occupational injury cases occur when the date of injury differs from the date of death. In some cases, the death occurs in a different year than the occupational injury and are known as cross-year latent cases.

In 2020, there were 194 cases where this occurred, and 173 of these latent cases occurred more than 30 days prior to the start of 2020. For more information on latent cases, see www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-10/latency- in-fatal-occupational-injuries.htm.

CFOI Methodology

Starting with the reference year 2019, CFOI modernized its disclosure methodology further strengthening its protection of confidential data. Individually identifiable data collected by the CFOI are used exclusively for statistical purposes and are protected under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). These data are collected under a pledge of confidentiality and therefore require BLS to prevent disclosure of identifying information of decedents. For more information see

www.bls.gov/iif/oshfaq1.htm.

Acknowledgements

BLS thanks the participating states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam for their efforts in collecting accurate, comprehensive, and useful data on fatal work injuries.

Although data for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam are not included in the national totals, results

for these jurisdictions are available. Participating agencies may be contacted to request more detailed state

results. Contact information is available at www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm.

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5 BLS also appreciates the efforts of all federal, state, local, and private sector entities that provided source documents used to identify fatal work injuries. Among these agencies are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the National Transportation Safety Board; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (Federal Employees’ Compensation and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation divisions); the Federal Railroad Administration; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; state vital statistics registrars, coroners, and medical examiners; state departments of health, labor, and industrial relations and workers’ compensation agencies; state and local police departments; and state farm bureaus.

Information in this release is available to sensory-impaired individuals. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal

Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

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Table 1. Fatal occupational injuries by selected demographic characteristics, 2016-20

Characteristic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total

¹

5,190 5,147 5,250 5,333 4,764

Employee status

Wage and salary workers

²

4,098 4,069 4,178 4,240 3,864

Self-employed

³

1,092 1,078 1,072 1,093 900

Gender

Women 387 386 413 437 387

Men 4,803 4,761 4,837 4,896 4,377

Age

Under 16 years 13 15 13 17 14

16 to 17 years 17 7 9 17 12

18 to 19 years 43 62 56 50 66

20 to 24 years 310 293 282 325 260

25 to 34 years 834 872 946 866 833

35 to 44 years 979 907 966 967 898

45 to 54 years 1,145 1,059 1,114 1,082 954

55 to 64 years 1,160 1,155 1,104 1,212 1,051

65 years and over 688 775 759 793 676

Race or ethnic origin

⁴

White (non-Hispanic) 3,481 3,449 3,405 3,297 2,898

Black or African-American (non-Hispanic) 587 530 615 634 541

Hispanic or Latino 879 903 961 1,088 1,072

American Indian or Alaskan Native (non-Hispanic) 38 38 42 30 32

Asian (non-Hispanic) 160 144 153 181 150

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 7 17 10 14 8

Multiple races (non-Hispanic) 15 9 14 22 14

Other races or not reported (non-Hispanic) 23 57 50 67 49

1 The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) has published data on fatal occupational injuries for the United States since 1992. During this time, the classification systems and definitions of many data elements have changed. See the CFOI Definitions page (www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm) for a more detailed description of each data element.

2 May include volunteers and workers receiving other types of compensation. Cases where employment status is unknown are included in the counts of wage and salary workers.

3 Includes self-employed workers, owners of unincorporated businesses and farms, paid and unpaid family workers, and may include some owners of incorporated businesses or members of partnerships.

4 Persons identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. The race categories shown exclude data for Hispanics and Latinos. Cases where ethnicity is unknown are included in counts of non-Hispanic workers.

Note: Data for all years are revised and final. Totals for major categories may include subcategories not shown separately. Dashes indicate no data reported or data that do not meet publication criteria. N.e.c. means "not elsewhere classified." CFOI fatal injury counts exclude illness-related deaths unless precipitated by an injury event.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, in cooperation with state, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

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Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries for selected events or exposures, 2016-20

Characteristic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total

¹

5,190 5,147 5,250 5,333 4,764

Event or exposure

²

Violence and other injuries by persons or animals 866 807 828 841 705

Intentional injury by person 792 733 757 761 651

Homicides 500 458 453 454 392

Shooting by other person—intentional 394 351 351 363 304

Stabbing, cutting, slashing, piercing 38 47 44 42 50 Suicides 291 275 304 307 259

Transportation incidents 2,083 2,077 2,080 2,122 1,778 Aircraft incidents 130 126 133 152 80 Rail vehicle incidents 50 48 48 47 32 Pedestrian vehicular incident 342 313 325 341 330

Pedestrian struck by vehicle in work zone 58 56 58 56 57 Water vehicle incident 48 68 58 63 74 Roadway incident involving motorized land vehicle 1,252 1,299 1,276 1,270 1,038 Roadway collision with other vehicle 628 663 677 729 537

Roadway collision moving in same direction 168 189 183 194 142

Roadway collision moving in opposite directions, oncoming 199 214 243 258 198

Roadway collision moving perpendicularly 150 149 141 153 106

Roadway collision with object other than vehicle 342 377 373 325 302

Vehicle struck object or animal on side of roadway 321 348 345 301 275

Roadway noncollision incident 278 252 222 212 196

Jack-knifed or overturned, roadway 238 197 170 164 155

Nonroadway incident involving motorized land vehicle 245 209 225 236 206

Nonroadway noncollision incident 182 166 164 193 167

Jack-knifed or overturned, nonroadway 120 111 105 128 101

Fire or explosion 88 123 115 99 71 Fall, slip, trip 849 887 791 880 805

Fall on same level 134 151 154 146 136

Fall to lower level 697 713 615 711 645

Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 65 48 50 37 36 Fall through surface or existing opening 87 85 83 95 63 Exposure to harmful substances or environments 518 531 621 642 672

Exposure to electricity 154 136 160 166 126

Exposure to temperature extremes 48 38 60 53 62 Exposure to other harmful substances 268 317 355 379 448

Inhalation of harmful substance 39 43 42 59 50 Contact with objects and equipment 761 695 786 732 716

Struck by object or equipment 553 503 566 518 468

Struck by powered vehicle nontransport 232 197 215 205 174

Struck by falling object or equipment 255 237 278 241 217

Struck by discharged or flying object 15 28 32 26 37 Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects 117 108 137 120 142

Caught in running equipment or machinery 103 76 106 93 89

Struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material 82 70 73 83 93

2 Based on the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) 2.01 implemented for 2011 data forward.

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Table 3. Fatal occupational injuries for selected occupations, 2016-20

Characteristic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total¹ 5,190 5,147 5,250 5,333 4,764

Occupation (SOC)²

Management occupations 377 396 387 380 361

Business and financial operations occupations 27 29 38 29 23

Computer and mathematical occupations 16 11 12 15 8

Architecture and engineering occupations 41 23 30 43 31

Life, physical, and social science occupations 15 13 18 15 17

Community and social services occupations 27 37 23 31 26

Legal occupations 13 11 15 11 5

Educational instruction and library occupations 32 30 27 24 13

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations 64 47 71 40 36

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations 60 57 65 56 51

Healthcare support occupations 30 28 32 38 44

Protective service occupations 281 266 270 231 229

Fire fighting and prevention workers 35 35 33 24 -

Law enforcement workers 127 117 127 97 115

Food preparation and serving related occupations 92 89 100 99 82

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations 329 326 350 333 307

Building cleaning and pest control workers 74 68 66 63 61

Grounds maintenance workers 217 191 225 229 202

Personal care and service occupations 55 69 63 61 58

Sales and related occupations 254 232 241 240 200

Supervisors, sales workers 104 98 102 99 73

Retail sales workers 102 89 99 96 95

Office and administrative support occupations 78 101 69 92 69

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations 290 264 262 291 264

Agricultural workers 157 155 158 183 148

Fishing and hunting workers 26 41 31 44 42

Forest, conservation, and logging workers 95 57 57 49 42

Construction and extraction occupations 970 965 1,003 1,066 976 Supervisors of construction and extraction workers 134 121 144 136 88

Construction trades workers 736 747 731 809 771

Extraction workers 41 41 64 50 59

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations 470 414 420 438 393 Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers 154 143 152 155 135 Production occupations 216 221 225 245 224 Transportation and material moving occupations 1,388 1,443 1,443 1,481 1,282

Air transportation workers 75 59 71 85 50

Motor vehicle operators 1,012 1,084 1,044 1,091 933

Material moving workers 228 235 255 238 218

Military occupations³ 62 72 82 65 -

2 CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

3 Includes fatal injuries to persons identified as resident armed forces regardless of individual occupation listed.

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Table 4. Fatal occupational injuries for selected industries, 2016-20

Characteristic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total¹ 5,190 5,147 5,250 5,333 4,764

Industry (NAICS)²

Private industry³ 4,693 4,674 4,779 4,907 4,349

Goods producing 1,991 1,967 2,055 - -

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 593 581 574 573 511

Crop production 261 263 250 221 248

Animal production and aquaculture 151 152 161 189 117

Forestry and logging 106 76 84 59 63 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction⁴ 89 112 130 127 78 Mining (except oil and gas) 22 31 34 23 32 Support activities for mining 56 73 83 82 39 Construction 991 971 1,008 1,061 1,008 Construction of buildings 182 196 200 - 192

Heavy and civil engineering construction 159 152 180 156 194

Specialty trade contractors 631 610 609 - 576

Manufacturing 318 303 343 - 340

Food manufacturing 40 51 41 - 53 Fabricated metal product manufacturing 41 50 56 - 53 Service providing 2,702 2,707 2,724 - - Wholesale trade 179 174 202 178 155

Retail trade 282 287 274 291 275

Motor vehicle and parts dealers 42 54 68 58 50 Food and beverage stores 71 60 42 54 72 Transportation and warehousing 825 882 874 913 805

Truck transportation 570 599 607 617 556

Utilities 30 28 29 22 19 Information 46 43 31 - 31 Finance and insurance 26 32 30 21 20 Real estate and rental and leasing 91 69 78 87 73 Professional, scientific, and technical services 100 69 87 86 62 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 439 460 497 498 413

Educational services 42 43 30 45 26 Health care and social assistance 117 146 138 152 119

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 96 91 78 83 59 Accommodation and food services 202 171 175 188 160

Other services, except public administration 223 205 195 210 188

Government⁵ 497 473 471 426 415

Federal government³ 107 116 124 111 95 State government³ 97 91 69 75 67 Local government³ 291 265 276 240 251

2 CFOI has used several versions of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) since 2003 to define industry. For complete information on the version of NAICS used in these years, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm.

3 Includes all fatal occupational injuries meeting this ownership criterion across all specified years, regardless of industry classification system. Cases where ownership is unknown are included in private industry counts.

4 Includes fatal injuries at all establishments categorized as Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (Sector 21) in the North American Industry Classification System, including establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and Gas Extraction.

5 Includes fatal injuries to workers employed by governmental organizations regardless of industry. Cases classified as foreign government and other government are included in all government counts, but not displayed separately.

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Table 5. Fatal work injury rates

¹

per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers by selected occupations, 2019-20

Characteristic 2019 2020

All workers

²

3.5 3.4

Occupation (SOC)

³

Fishing and hunting workers 145.0 132.1

Logging workers 68.9 91.7

Roofers 54.0 47.0

Helpers, construction trades 40.0 43.3

Aircraft pilots and flight engineers 61.8 34.3

Refuse and recyclable material collectors 35.2 33.1

Structural iron and steel workers 26.3 32.5

Driver/sales workers and truck drivers 26.8 25.8

1 Fatal injury rates are per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Fatal injury rates exclude workers under the age of 16 years, volunteers, and resident military. Complete national rates can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm#rates. Complete state rates can be found at www.bls.gov/iif/oshstate.htm.

National and state rates are calculated using different methodology and cannot be directly compared. See

www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cfoi/calculation.htm#comparisons-of-national-and-state-rates for more information on how rates are calculated and caveats for comparison. N/A means a rate was not published for this group.

3 CFOI has used several versions of the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) system since 2003 to define occupation. For complete information on the version of SOC used in these years, see our definitions page at https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfdef.htm. Cases where occupation is unknown are included in the total.

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Table 6. Fatal occupational injuries by state of incident, 2016-20

Characteristic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Total¹ 5,190 5,147 5,250 5,333 4,764 State of incident

Alabama 100 83 89 89 85

Alaska 35 33 32 51 31

Arizona 77 90 82 94 97

Arkansas 68 76 76 62 64

California 376 376 422 451 463

Colorado 81 77 72 84 78

Connecticut 28 35 48 26 29

Delaware 12 10 7 18 7

District of Columbia 5 13 10 10 13

Florida 309 299 332 306 275

Georgia 171 194 186 207 193

Hawaii 29 20 22 26 16

Idaho 30 37 45 36 32

Illinois 171 163 184 158 135

Indiana 137 138 173 146 158

Iowa 76 72 77 76 58

Kansas 74 72 61 83 55

Kentucky 92 70 83 78 92

Louisiana 95 117 98 119 103

Maine 18 18 17 20 20

Maryland 92 87 97 78 59

Massachusetts 109 108 97 86 69

Michigan 162 153 155 164 131

Minnesota 92 101 75 80 67

Mississippi 71 90 78 59 44

Missouri 124 125 145 106 105

Montana 38 32 28 38 29

Nebraska 60 35 44 53 48

Nevada 54 32 39 40 37

New Hampshire 22 11 20 11 14

New Jersey 101 69 83 74 82

New Mexico 41 44 43 55 37

New York (including N.Y.C.) 272 313 271 273 223

New York City 56 87 73 91 59

North Carolina 174 183 178 186 189

North Dakota 28 38 35 37 26

Ohio 164 174 158 166 117

Oklahoma 92 91 91 73 75

Oregon 72 60 62 69 60

Pennsylvania 163 172 177 154 148

Rhode Island 9 8 9 10 5

South Carolina 96 88 98 108 102

South Dakota 31 30 32 20 32

Tennessee 122 128 122 124 142

Texas 545 534 488 608 469

Utah 44 43 49 51 48

Vermont 10 22 11 10 8

Virginia 153 118 157 180 118

Washington 78 84 86 84 83

West Virginia 47 51 57 46 47

Wisconsin 105 106 114 113 108

Wyoming 34 20 31 32 35